Wichita eagle., 1887-06-12
A GRAND SUCCESS
The Wichita Crystal Ice Com
pany Reach the North
Pole.
Ice, Mechanically and Chemically
Pure-Daily Output Of Thirty
Tons-Process Of Making.

machine to some of the leading business mer
of the city He met number CT the more
| Or ointment gentlemen, who took kindly tc
the scheme. It was thought a good machine
and that was the only question that had te
be decided, they considered, to make such al
enterprise in the booming metropolis grand
| success. As result of the faith in the en-
terprise, a company was formed with CAPT
tai stock of s60,C00. The board of director:
ard officers Of the same are as follows; n
A. English, president; John Sohn, vice
| president; W. NJ johnson, treasurer: j. F.
McMillen, secretary, and George Calhoun.
The machine was ordered by Mr.. Day and
the company commenced to make arrange
ments.ffor erecting a suitable building. A
site was secured On the west side near the Fl.
Scott track, and work on building COM
menced.I The building has front of eighty
six feet and one hundred and thirty-six feet
deep and three stories high.
THE first shipment of machinery arrived
on the eighth of January. Soon after its
arrival the company's master mechanic, Mr..
Thomas Dwyer, reached the city for the
purpose of experimenting all work in put
ting machinery in place. The machine was
set running on the twenty second of April,
ann five days after the first ice was taken
| from the moulds. There has been no shut down
since commencing operations, but everything
has worked smoothly and perfectly satisfac-
tory to both the Cincinnati company and the
local company. Everything is now adjusted
and in first-class working condition.
The plant is becoming more and more
under the notice.of the people OF the city and
the visiting public. Daily quite number of
| visitors are shown through the departments
and take great interest in the explanations of
the different machinery and the entire pro-
cess. Those not familiar with ice plants are
especially entertained with the visit. They
are given general idea of the system by Mr..
Dwyer, who thoroughly understands his
business and can, in as few words as posi-
BILE, give a respectable idea of the entire
! machine.
The water used by the entire plant
both for. making ice and for cooling purposes
is drawn from fifteen points each twenty
two feet deep on the north side of the build
ing. The water from there is drawn through
six inch main by the supply pump and
placed in the supply tank fifty feet above
the foundation of the building. That gives
water pressure to all the tanks of the ma
chine and feeds the boilers and is also led off
for cooling purposes.
The water from which the ice is made is
taken from the supply tank to the ''still-
well" heater. 1t is there brought to steam
heat and thus freed of all alkali, magnesia
and lime impurities. When all impurities
have been removed it is conveyed to the
boilers where it is converted into steam
The dry steam is taken from
the boilers through main pipe and con
densed, then being chemically pure water
| The pure water is removed from the conden
ser to the dearerator. 1t is there re-boiled
| for the purpose of freeing it Of any
| impurities if any remain. 1t is
then moved from the dearerator to the
cooler where it is brought to temper
allure of sixty degrees, having been two hun
dred and twelve degrees in the dearerator,
filter removing all mechanical impurities
The water goes through the filter to the cooler
on the freezing tank which reduces the tenn
perature to fifty-six degrees. 1t is placed in
the ice moulds at that temperature. The
moulds are of two sizes giving blocks of ice
one hundred and two hundred pounds.
The water freed Of both mechanical and
chemical impurities is now in the mOulds
ready to be frozen. The process of freezing
it is probably more difficult to understand but
none the less interesting. The starting point
of the machine is the retort or still, which
stands perpendicular, being near thirty
three feet high and four feet in diameter. 1t
is charged with aqua ammonia at a per cent
age of twenty-six. In the still is coil
through which steam passes causing anhy
drous gas to be generated which runs from
still to top condenser where it is partially
liquiied. The part that is not Gquifed in
the top condenser is thoroughly liquifed
in the lower condenser. Being hquiied it is
liquified anhydrous amonia. The reason
| for two condesers is to trap aquous vapor
and force it back to the retort before reach
| ing the lower condenser, which furnishes the
anhydrous:. ammonia in the lower condenser
absolutely pure.
| The gas leaves the still through four-inch
| pipe to the top condenser, and after being
| liquified is reduced to a three-fourth inch
pipe through which it is conveyed to re-
ceiver. The liquid is taken from the receiver
and changed to freezing tanks. The pipe
leaving the receiver is reduced to one-hali
| inch. 1t reaches the expansion valve neaI
the freezing tanks and in the small pipe is
subjected to a pressure of one hundred
the expansion valve the pressure i:
reduced to fifteen pounds which causes the
| liquid to expand into vapor and lowers it:
temperature to forty degrees below zero
which on warm summers day is popularly
called, intensely cold.
The freezing tanks are two in number and
in them are the moulds. The tanks are filled
with brine up to one and one-haf inches o.
the top of The moulds. Around each mould
pervading the entire tank is coil through
which the gas leaving the expansion vale a
a temperature of forty degrees below zero i
passed In passing through the manifold i
absorbs the heat in the brine bringing it below
zero freezing the water in the moulds
When the gas has done its work il
the manifold it is brought back to
a large pipe which runs to the absorber.
Again, going back to the retort. or still
after the gas had been distilled from tn